Conservatives Reject Tax Hikes

The Mississippi legislature, which claims a number of conservatives in both chambers, will be voting tomorrow on a cigarette tax. There are two conservative reasons to reject tax hikes.

First, this is a redistribution of wealth from one group of consumers (smokers) to another (car drivers) with no logical connection. As my Tea Party friends remind me, Mississippians are Taxed Enough Already.

Second, higher taxes mean a bigger government. I understand health advocates who want to increase cigarette taxes in order to decrease smoking because that is a positive indirect consequence. But a negative indirect consequence is bigger government and more spending.

I encourage conservatives to hold the line on tax hikes, and we’ll see where legislators truly stand philosophically after the vote.